Process and Systems

On October 4th the launch team of Northwest Community Church will begin meeting weekly on Sunday afternoons to develop the process and systems that will support our vision of leading people to experience a new life in Christ. Allow me to explain...

Here are two convictions that are shaping my perspective in the launch of NCC:

1) All of life is a journey. We were meant for movement, growth, and discovery. In our spiritual life, we are either moving closer to God or further away based upon our relationship and obedience to Christ. As a result, one of the best ways a church can serve people is by giving them a crystal clear process for spiritual growth...to actually show them how they can experience a new life in Christ.

2) The Church is a body. A healthy body exists when all of its systems are working properly. Therefore, a healthy church has healthy systems.

As a result the #1 goal of the launch team over the next four months will be to develop a clear process along with the healthy systems needed to support the vision of NCC. Please be praying that God will give the launch team wisdom in these areas. Ultimately we want to develop the type of process and systems that bring God a lot of happiness.

Careful Planning

"Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run;

hurry and scurry puts you further behind."

Proverbs 21:5, The Message

Over the past 10 months, we have been preparing a plan/strategy for how to launch a new church that would connect with unchurched people in a NWA community. So far, the plan is on track and moving along. While the launch team continues to move forward, we intend to turn our sites towards developing a plan that will take us through the next 18 months...launch and beyond (sounds like a line from Star Wars). In other words, we need to develop a unique church strategy for how Northwest Community Church is going to fulfill the vision God has given us of leading people to experience a new life in Christ. In order to do so, our launch team will begin meeting as a team on a weekly basis during the next several months leading up to the February launch. Before our first launch team meeting, I have asked everyone to read two things:

1. Simple Church by Thom Rainer http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Church-Returning-Process-Disciples/dp/0805443908/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253645813&sr=8-1
2. Healthy Systems Healthy Church by Nelson Searcy

In addition, please be praying for our entire launch team as we seek out God's unique strategy for Northwest Community Church. One thing I have noticed is that everyone and their mom has an opinion about how we should "do church." While I will always be willing to respectfully listen to people's opinions on things, I am not interested in taking polls on what people are looking for in a church or trying to even become a church that pleases every single person. On the other hand, I am highly interested in prayerfully seeking God's strategy for NCC and remaining true to the vision of leading people to experience a new life in Christ. More to come...

We are in the Natural State

Sarah and I are officially back in Arkansas! Last week we packed up the POD, loaded down the truck and a U-Haul trailer, and headed west. On Sunday we moved in with our good friends Kevin and Kayla Crow who are helping us launch the church. Sarah started her new job and I was able to get started on the 1,000 things I have to do before we can launch the church.

Also, I got an encouraging call this week from Soddy-Daisy First Baptist Church (near Chattanooga, TN) saying they will be a church sponsor of Northwest Community Church. We are excited to partner with them as we show people that healthy churches help plant other healthy churches. Just like we as believers should be investing and sowing into the lives of other people, so too should healthy churches invest in the life of other local, New Testament churches. It really sounds like a simple process, but it is one that is only brought about when we fully submit our lives to Christ and allow him to work in and through us. Less of us and more of Him.

This weekend, we will be down in Fort Smith with Grand Ave Baptist Church as she celebrates her 75th anniversary.

Exodus 33:14

Yesterday, I got a very encouraging voicemail and email from my grandmother in Chattanooga. She quoted Exodus 33:14 when God told Moses "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. As I thought about it, I was reminded that God was promising Moses that he would go with him and use him for his purposes as long as Moses was obedient to God's leadership in his life. God was calling Moses to step out on faith and do something he could not do on his own. During his leadership journey, Moses would face problems, frustrations, and he even made some major mistakes along the way, but God continued to lead Moses and use him to accomplish His purposes.

Now, I know none of us on the launch team are Moses and we are not even in that same leadership league. I doubt very seriously if any of us have the experience or ability to lead thousands of people through the wilderness. In fact, I can't even lead myself and 3 others in an adventure race without getting lost. At the same time, God has called us to do something significant in our own generation...that is to plant a church that will reach unchurched people for Christ. Like Moses we can have the confidence that God will lead us and go with us because he is the one who called us to this mission. And, like Moses, we can expect some obstacles and disappointments along the way. However, no matter what happens we must never take our eyes off of Christ. This is His church. His mission. His calling.